Hide No More
by BenXGwen Lightning Warrior
Summary: Kenny discovers a truth about his family that brings an old foe back to challenge Ben 10,000. Will Kenny be able to help his father out of this problem? Read and find out. (I own nothing.) One Shot


Hide No More

 _Fright and anger filled Ben's mind and fought for dominance as the boy ran across the narrow beams of the clock tower at Bencroft Academy. He could hear Ghostfreak laughing behind him. Then, Ben looked over and saw duel curtains blocking out the sun with the exception of a small sliver of light from the morning sun that peaked in through a gap in the curtains. His face contorted in anger and aggravation for a moment at the light after so long in the darkened tower. Then, Ben's face went from annoyance to realization and a mischievous smile in half a second. He waited. One second, two seconds, three… Ben jumped as Ghostfreak lunged at him._

" _It's time you saw the light, Freak!"_

 _Ben expected the monster to instantly vaporize in contact with the light, but that's not what happened. Even as Ghostfreak's body slowly turned to grey dust and began blowing away, the monster issued a dying threat._

" _You will meet my darkness, Benjamin. Soon, I hear."_

Benjamin Tennyson; forty-year-old father, husband, and hero; sat up quickly in his bed. Cold sweat drenched the man as he breathed heavily with one name pounding in his mind: _Ghostfreak!_

 _I haven't dreamed of him in years…_ Benjamin thought. He quickly brushed the thought away. _Today is Kenny's birthday,_ the hero told himself. _I shouldn't let old demons ruin the day. After all, you only turn ten once. Speaking of…_ Benjamin walked over to his desk and pulled out a pod. _It took me years to crack it once Kenny was born, but I finally figured out the Secret of the Omnitrix's creation._ Benjamin thought with a gloat hidden in his thoughts as he smiled at his son's birthday gift from the proud father.

Some hours later in the darkness of the black hole Ghostfreak called home at the center of the Anur star system known as Anur Phaetos, the ghost-like alien stroked his brow in thought. _Benjamin_ , the alien demon thought. _How are you after thirty years without me?_ As if to answer, Ghostfreak felt a strong surge of anger that was not his own. The demon smiled darkly from his position in the black hole. _I feel your anger. Why?_ Flashes came to the Dark One's mind. Young Benjamin was pummeling some poor fool.

" _How dare you?!"_ Benjamin spat as he continued his wrath.

When the hero finally relented, the ghost saw him shrink and cradle his unconscious son gingerly. The ghost cracked a dark smile at the scene as his single eye saw a holographic distortion field around the boy.

"I have your weakness now, Benjamin…" Zs'Skayr said with a wheezy cackle as he floated out of the black hole. "First, I must communicate my suspicions to the Loboan Council of Elders."

Back on Earth, Kenneth Maxwell Tennyson was caught in between happiness and bitterness. On one hand, Devlin was now his adopted brother and his Dad trusted him to go heroing. That was awesome and all, but there was also the closed off part of his father that bothered Kenny. For as long as Kenny could remember, his father would always deflect or change the subject when Kenny asked about him mom. The boy had a sneaking suspicion about the woman he often called "Aunt" Gwendolyn. _That would be crazy_! Kenny would remind himself, but the suspicion remained. Oddly, Kenny heard soft footfalls on the concrete and instantly recognized Devin's gate in the sounds of his feet.

Devlin looked at Kenny as he sat by the boy and pulled his knees up to his chest before he looked at the younger Omnitrix bearer. "What's on your mind?"

Kenny sighed. "I'm thinking about my mom."

Devlin sighed. "Isn't she that archeologist, Kai Browne…er something?"

Kenny laughed. "Greene," he corrected. "That's the cover story, but Dad once told me about how she wanted him to be a werewolf so she could train him to be her pet."

Devlin's eyes widened. "…and they call Kevin psychotic but not her?"

Kenny nodded solemnly.

Devlin then realized something. "You said your fake mom is a cover story. Why would you, son of Ben 10K, need a cover story?"

Kenny's face lost a good bit of color in the next moment. Then, he turned to Devlin with a serious expression. "If I tell you, you must swear to keep it a secret."

Devlin's face turned steely as he looked at Kenny and nodded slowly.

In Kenny's room, Devlin sat on the bed while Kenny stood in front of him. The green-eyed boy sighed and reached for the green and slightly glowing belt buckle on his pants. When Kenny pressed the switch, his form flickered twice in a sky blue haze before a boy covered in orange fur that was thickest on his head and chin with black claws on his fingers and toes appeared before Devlin.

"An orange Loboan pup?" Devlin said in confusion. "I thought they had dark fur to help blend with the night."

"Normally, yes." Kenny confirmed with a slow nod. "Dad is half Loboan. That makes me only a quarter." He said with a frown. "That's why I look like a hairy human with unkept nails."

"Orange hair and your Dad's green eyes, not Kai's dominate brown eye genetics." Delvin said with a thoughtful expression.

Kenny raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying, Devlin?"

Devlin flashed his friend a devious grin. "Who do you know with orange hair and green eyes?"

Kenny looked at his friend in stunned silence for a moment. "Why didn't I see that?!"

Devlin held up his hands and stood. "Cool it, dude!" The black-haired boy said as he glanced out the door cautiously. "So your Dad's cousin is actually your Mom? So what? I don't think anyone on Earth would be pissed at them."

Kenny looked at his friend and sat down next to him. "I'm not really mad about the relationship. I'm mad that they kept the truth from me!"

In the main room of Benjamin's headquarters, the man sat next to the mystic holoform of his wife and cousin.

"Gwen," Benjamin whispered. "We can't keep Kenny in the dark about who he is much longer."

Gwendolyn smiled sadly and nodded. "He's growing up, and if I'm not mistaken, you started to change around his age."

Benjamin nodded solemnly. "If the Council finds out about Luna, Kenny, and me, they won't hesitate to send Warriors to 'purify' us." Benjamin's eyes hardened at the thought of losing his son.

Gwendolyn looked at the man and couldn't help but think about Xenon. "We won't lose him, Ben." The redhead said in a stern but soft voice. "I'm almost done with the mission here." She said with a smile. "I should be home by morning." Gwendolyn took a moment to take in her love's eyes. "We'll explain everything to Kenny then, Doofus."

Benjamin smiled at his wife. "I'll be waiting, Dweeb."

The next morning, Kenny woke up early with an icy sense of foreboding in his stomach. Something was going to happen today, and it was going to be big whatever it was. Knowing this made the boy rush about his morning routine. Strangely, the boy always felt comfortable in a rush. The speed helped him concentrate on what he was doing at the cost of awareness around him. When Kenny slowed down, his ears caught the exasperated voice of his Dad.

"Kenny, when you get down from your room, we need to talk."

Something about his father's tone made Kenny uncomfortable, so the boy threw on some clothes after a shower and hurried to the living area.

"Yes, sir?" The boy asked as he looked around in mild panic.

Benjamin sighed and looked at his son with a smile. "Relax, Kenny. You're not in trouble." The elder Tennyson said as he patted the cushion next to him. "We just need to talk."

Kenny blinked and smiled, "About Gwen-?" The boy stopped himself as he sat down next to Benjamin. "Mom?"

A faint smile traced Benjamin's lips. _He definitely has his mother's brain._ "Yes…" Benjamin said nervously.

Kenny smirked at his father. "Devlin and I figured it out last night, a question of fur and eye color in relation to genetics."

Benjamin chuckled. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice that little detail." Benjamin said with a grin. "When designing your holoform, I couldn't bring myself to give it Kai's brown eyes." Benjamin shook his head and blinked. "I wanted at least a small part of that holoform to retain a bit of your real mother, My Dweeb."

Kenny smiled and hugged his Dad. "I have one question: why?"

Gwendolyn walked up to the pair silently before she spoke. "Your Grandma, your father's mother, comes from a race that is very xenophobic." The woman explained as she walked to Kenny. "We thought hiding you would be best because if you were found out, they would kill you, your father, and his mother." Gwendolyn told her son as she hugged him. "We hid the truth from you to protect you, Kenny." Gwendolyn explained softly as she released her son and looked at her husband.

Benjamin shivered suddenly, an icy chill that always ran up his back around one particular alien: "Ghostfreak…" Ben growled as he instinctively stood between the Ectonurite and his son. "What do you want?"

Gwendolyn tensed at the mention of the terrifying alien lord of the Anur Star System and gently pulled Kenny closer to her in motherly protectiveness. "You go after my son, Zs'Skayr, and I will personally vaporize your body until not even a molecular bond remains of your hideous form!" Gwendolyn's eyes glowed bright blue with energy as she gave the threat, her face set in a deep scowl.

The ghost alien chuckled and with a raspy wheeze spoke choosing to ignore the witch's threat, "The Loboans don't take kindly to Halfbreeds, Benjamin." The monster's twisted mouth formed a smile under the protective skin. "We were close once. I wanted to warn you and get you prepared, so that your demise and the demise of your wretched family will be all the sweeter, Benjamin!"

Benjamin's fists tightened, and he glared hard into the monster's purple eye. "You lay one claw on my family…"

Zs'Skar looked at Benjamin with false hurt. "I have no legal claim to kill your family." His dark maw spread into a twisted grin of delight under his protective skin. Zs'Skar then waved his hand, and a legion of Loboan warriors jumped out of a wormhole that appeared just to the left of the demon. "However, they can kill you by charging you with Defilement of the Race."

Benjamin's face set harder into a scowl as he looked at the warriors and reached to activate his Omnitrix.

Kenny looked at the men in silent thought even as Devlin took his mutated form to protect his adopted father and brother. An idea formed in the boy's mind. _I hope I know what I'm doing._ Kenny thought as he destroyed the holographic emitter on his belt and stepped forward. The warriors took a step back at the orange Loboan hybrid as he neared them, gasping in shock at the Look of determination in the pup's eyes. Kenny only knew enough Loboan for a basic conversation, so the boy closed his eyes and trusted his instincts.

Opening them, green orbs of fire stared at the warriors. "(I challenge the Alpha!)"

Benjamin paled as did Gwen. Devlin looked at Kenny in confusion, having never learned the Tongue of the Wolves. Kenny's face never wavered as he searched the stunned crowd of warriors for the Alpha. "(Coward!)" Kenny continued to challenge, even as Benjamin growled in warning at the stinging insult.

"(Face me! You win and you can have my family. If I win, you and your pack of Mutts will leave and never return!)"

The word "mutts" is the one that brought the Alpha out. He stood on his hind legs a good eight feet tall. "(No tricks; no mercy…)"

"(…only victory or death.) Kenny confirmed.

The Alpha's muzzle turned upward in a smile. Then, he charged. "(You will die, Mongrel!)"

Kenny chuckled to himself. _I see where Dad got his battle plans from as a kid._ Kenny used his smaller size to slide under the Alpha. Reaching up, the boy effectively castrated the Alpha with his claws. A howl of rage and pain echoed through the city. On the ground holding his wounded pride, the Alpha was vulnerable. Kenny's instincts screamed, _Kill the beast now while he's wounded!_ Kenny smiled, ran at the downed Alpha, leapt onto his back, and left shallow cuts deep enough to scar but not deep enough to kill in the Wolf's neck. "(You will live with the shame of knowing a 'Hybrid Mongrel' defeated you!)" Kenny growled in the whimpering former Alpha's ear.

Kenny then stood and took the form of XLR8.

"I won Ghostfreak! Take your goon squad and go!"

The Ectonurite laughed. "You made a deal with them, not me!" Ghostfreak charged. _If I can't beat you, Tennyson,_ Zs'Skar thought. _I will take your son!_

Kenny rolled his eyes under XLR8's visor and blurred into the demon. Using the force of momentum, Kenny drove him toward the wormhole. Zs'Skar thought he had an ace and tried to slip out of Kenny's grip. However, the same problem with possessing an Omnitrix alien seemed to apply for passing through them as well. Zs'Skar roared in rage even as Kenny threw him into the waiting wormhole.

XLR8 blurred back over to his family and deactivated the Omnitrix. Benjamin walked over to his son and took his own hybrid form. "You did wonderful pup."

Kenny beamed. "Does this mean…?"

Benjamin smiled and nodded. "We no longer have to hide."

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